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Mercenaries
Across the galaxy there exists an innumerable number of factions and individuals who - rather than fight for their planet, species, or empire - fight instead for personal gain and reward. These mercenary warriors carve out their own lives from the battlefields of the 41st Millennium, and can rank amongst the most formidable and ruthless combatants in the galaxy. Often their payment comes in the form of raw wealth, and few things are known to motivate mercenaries so well as a chest of gold or other precious metal. But payment can take many forms from food to slaves. Human mercenaries often fight in exchange for valuables and riches, but Xenos mercenaries may demand anything from the clearly valuable to the confusingly banal. While the lines between them can easily become blurred as they both fight in exchange for payment, mercenaries and assassins differ in general purpose. Mercenaries often give their general service in exchange for payment, and usually operate in groups and take on a host of jobs including security, bodyguarding or even all-out warfare. Assassins meanwhile are often solitary, and generally are paid to kill a specific target or targets. They also stand in stark contrast to the Imperial agents of the Officio Assassinorum, who cannot be bought and operate only on orders from the Imperium. The agents of the Officio Assassinorum are also far superior to any civilian assassin, with the resources of the Imperium behind them. Mercenaries & Assassins in Sector Deus Guns-for-hire operate across the breadth of the Imperium and Sector Deus is no different. Mercenary groups sell their services across the frontier while assassins can find plentiful work amongst the corruption of Hive Worlds. Even Xenos mercenaries are commonly found in this region of space. While mercenary groups operate across many systems in the Sector, the best place to find representatives of Imperial-legal mercenary groups is on Kinteros. Even though this is a mostly peaceful world, many groups have representatives here because it contains the heaviest concentration of the Sector's wealthy people to market their services to. For outlaw and non-Imperial mercenary groups, the best places to hire them are widely known to be Haven, Merceria, and Tortuga. However only the most reputable all-human mercenary groups possess a Writ of Sanctioning from Sector Command. This Writ is essentially an assurance that hiring the group's services is not a crime under the Lex Imperialis - while hiring unsanctioned mercenary groups may ''be a serious crime if the group (or any part of it) acts in an anti-Imperial manner. A Writ of Sanctioning is thus highly valued by any mercenary group and can usually only be obtained through years of honourable conduct and/or sizeable donations to the Sector purse. However in exchange for this official seal of approval which inevitably vastly increases the mercenary group's income, they will be expected to answer any call to arms from the Imperium should they be required. 'Notable Mercenary Groups in Sector Deus' 'Dominus Security Services (DSS) The largest and most reputable mercenary group in the Sector and possessing a Writ of Sanctioning. DSS was born on Ujosla in early M40 by a collective of former soldiers from all nations of the perpetually civil warring planet. Quickly proving themselves to local employers, they expanded rapidly and began operating across Subsector Dominus, earning a Writ of Sanctioning in 650.M40. DSS now operates in almost every system in the Sector and numbers in the hundreds of thousands strong - with many of its operatives being former Imperial Navy armsmen. DSS's standard soldier-for-hire is equipped to heavy infantry standards and 'the Corp' also has large fleets of tanks, aircraft & other vehicles along with the specialist crews & pilots required to man them. Such is DSS's reputation that their representatives often follow Imperial Guard deployments around the Sector in order to offer employment to any Guardsmen discharged in the wake of campaigns, and they deliberately seek out the more skilled personnel such as pilots to take advantage of the training provided by the Imperial Guard. Some Imperial commanders are agitated by DSS's constant attempts to employ what some see as 'Imperial property', but the large proportion of ex-Imperial military personnel in DSS's structure means the corp as a whole is well trusted and very reliable. Finally DSS also controls a voidfleet of over a dozen heavy troop transports, eight frigates, and three capital ships. In M41 DSS is a powerful force in the Sector, rivalling many of the more powerful PDFs in strength. However their job practice is strictly pro-Imperial and are almost entirely defensive in mandate, keeping them in good standing with Sector Command. DSS's internal structure is relatively decentralised with various Regiments, Battalions, and Companies accepting and working jobs independantly though reporting their actions up a chain of command for review. Each unit will pay a tribute of their earnings to the Corp as a whole which is then redistributed where needed, thus new materiel is both distributed by the Corp command and purchased by units directly. This allows every unit to maintain a solid strength while also allowing for specialisations and preferences. For example Hazer Battalion is heavily flame-based with flamers in every squad and squadrons of Hellhound tanks. Because of their decentralised job practices, DSS units can accept a large variety of payment methods which may range from local currency to war materiel, though precious metals are the most commonly preferred. While units have a certain amount of individual discretion, they must report their actions up a chain of command and may therefore be ordered to halt their actions. The highest officers of DSS are therefore mostly administrative in nature, and the Corps' most senior officers are currently the triumvirate of General Yevan Beloff, General Maxim Shunt, and Admiral Flint Russan, all descendants of Ujoslan soldiers that were in DSS' original ranks. '''Grey Division Based on Kronos but spread throughout develiped cities & industrial centres across the Sector, this mercenary corp specialises in urban security & industrial espionage. Grey Division possesses a Writ of Sanctioning from Sector Command, but their questionable activities lead many to believe that this was granted thanks to bribery and/or services to powerful figures. Known to have few moral scruples, Grey Division rigorously ensures they only ever work for and against strictly private interests to avoid discrediting themselves to the Imperium. Outside of this however they are known to have few rules and have not hesitated to kill security personnel & corporate employees, steal corporate plans, and blow up entire buildings in service to ruthless businesses. Kronos' corporate shadow wars are of course perfect for this, though the Corps' skills transfer elsewhere well. Grey Division operates in planetary cells that each tend to their own financing and procurement, though the Corp as a whole holds supply contracts with a few Kronian firms and thus sees some uniformity in their equipment. Typically each planetary cell of Grey Division is divided between the operational units and the representatives who market and sell their corps' services with commercialist sales pitches designed to convince business-owning Nobles and corporate leaders that they need the services of Grey Division. They are known to prefer payment in raw currencies and corporate stock. Grey Division operatives are mostly trained in close-quarters combat and stealth, and have a high degree of cybernetic augmentation thanks to its wide availability on their homeworld of Kronos. They favour armoured bodygloves and faceless, sealed light carapace in dark colours along with a variety of advanced auto-weapons, and heavily utilise tech-adepts to hack systems as well as explosive breaching specialists. They use a large variety of light vehicles & aircraft for moving through urban regions swiftly, but have little in the way of heavy armour. 'Raptor Company' Formed entirely of Argulian commandos, this mercenary group is known as the best collection of survivalists-for-hire the Sector has to offer. They have held a Writ of Sanctioning for thousands of years in exchange for providing specialists to Administratum expedition parties, and are known to go to great lengths to protect their charges. Specialists in jungle and other natural environment warfare & survival, Raptor Company fire teams are often hired by explorers and/or big game hunters to serve as guides & protectors. They are fiercely pro-Imperial and have a strong code of honour, refusing jobs that would see them harm innocents, and mostly take payment in the form of precious metals and fine foods that they send to their homes on Argul IV. Every Argulian commando uses unique and personalised equipment, but most favour light flak vests and powerful hunting & sniper rifles, along with large knives and swords. Raptor Company fire teams can most easily be found on Argul IV itself, but many teams move around Sector Deus almost like nomads as they move from job to job. Any fire team that can't find work for long enough will inevitably find their way back home to Argul IV, or find their way to Kinteros where they can better advertise their services. 'Hunter Corps' The premiere warriors of Rampage, featuring biological & cybernetic augmentations and a lifetime of combat experience. The Hunters are the finest mercenaries in the Sector and hiring the services of a single 4-man squad can cost as must as a battalion of lesser troops. Each Hunter wields heavy weapons as if they were personal rifles and are clad in thick carapace armour, and can break a man's skull in their bare hands. They are also supremely disciplined and fearless, and widely considered the finest human soldiers - aside from Astartes - in the Sector. Each Hunter Squad accepts employment on their own terms and while most can be found on Rampage itself there are several strewn across the Sector, typically in ongoing warzones or on Kinteros to advertise their services. While the vast majority maintain a code of honour and only take defensive jobs, there have been times in the past where Hunter Squads have been found ransacking factories and obliterating civilian facilities on the order of their employers. 'Red Fist' This is an outlaw mercenary group based on Haven and found openly on Tartarus, Caseblanco, Tortuga, and other non-Imperial worlds, while also maintaining hidden cells on various Imperial worlds. Known to accept almost any job no matter the objectives and no matter how much carnage it will cause, Red Fist operatives have no qualms when it comes to murder & worse. While universally ruthless and oftentimes sadistic, Red Fist soldiers vary massively in quality from ganger rabbles to lethal ex-Grenadiers. They also have xenos in their ranks, including Kroots, Tarellians, and even a precious few Eldar Outcast, but the overwhelming majority are human. Despite their moral shortcomings and the large number of convicts and fugitives in their ranks, Red Fist is ferociously anti-Chaos and frequently purges its own ranks of any suspected of Chaos worship. While the Red Fists can be easily located on non-Imperial worlds and hired through their local commanders, the hidden cells on Imperial worlds are typically much more secretive and operate through anonymous representatives in the darkest bilges of the planets. Red Fist's most dramatic action in recent history was on Nymeria in 331.M41 when a heavily armed Red Fist platoon destroyed the offices of a Merchant Lord and massacred dozens of staffmembers. A brutal street battle between the Red Fists and the local police forces ensued that resulted in more death and destruction, and almost half of the mercenaries survived to escape aboard unmarked lighters after removing their armour and disappearing into crowds. The rival trade lord that hired them was found guilty and executed, but the Red Fists had left a bloody mark on Nymeria. 'Death Cult Assassins' Death Cults are found across the Imperium as an extreme sect of the Imperial Cult (and sometimes - in darker places - as Khornate cults). They believe in worshipping the Emperor through violence & sacrifice, and so the Cults' most lethal members - entitled Death Cult Assassins - are highly trained in stalking & killing those they deem as outside the Emperor's favour and worthy as sacrifices to him. However their grisly rituals and propensity for cannibalism amongst the more extreme Cults can strain the tolerances of the Ecclesiarchy. Many Cults are also known to accept payment for services, and while these may include assassination their skills of stealth & bladesmanship ensure they can do more than just kill. As they completely eschew firearms and other conventional ranged weapons their utility in open warfare is limited, but their affinity for power blades and extreme athleticism & stealth keep them popular for more clandestine objectives. In Sector Deus lone Death Cults can be found on most Hive Worlds & major Civilised Worlds as they are bound to show up in any population large & faithful enough. However the world of Karn Dereg is most famous for its high density of Death Cults and houses a large number in the planetary capital of Morhankar - where Death Cults of every kind imaginable can be found from moderate to radical to even heretical. 'Vorlis Security Collective (VSC)' A relatively new mercenary group based on Tachion Primaris under the financing & command of the Vorlis Dynasty. VSC is currently only officially performing basic security work on Tachion Primaris itself for various Nobles and corporations. They have a questionable reputation as being made up of bored young nobles who want to 'play soldier' and have yet to be properly challenged, however they are very well financed and have access to exceptional armour, weapons, and other technologies. VSC operatives are often noted as arrogant and haughty, and while they are mostly not particularly sadistic many of them have a callousness towards human life - especially that of lowborn commoners. Behind the scenes however there are accusations that small VSC units are performing illegal activities such as blackmailing, intimidation, and even murder amongst the competitive spires of Tachion Primaris. 'Restan Shinobi' A sect of highly trained operatives & warriors that originate from the world of Emperors Rest, and reside there almost entirely. The Shinobi are a religious group who believe in worshipping the Emperor through meditative athletics & combat training, and this moulds them into expert warriors that excel in close quarters and favour melee combat along with only light ranged weapons such as pistols. Located in Temples across Emperors Rest, the Shinobi are well versed in stealth & disguises and a typical devotee may look no different to anyone else in the street (many Shinobi even live double lives, working in normal careers but training in Temples in their spare time), but they have a penchant for stashing weapons on their person and some reuse to go anywhere without their sword. Shinobi blades are crafted in traditional Restan style with a slightly curved single-edge, and while most use mono-edge metal somoe of the more skilled & experienced Shinobi have power fields incorporated into their blades. Their skills make Shinobi suitable for a large number of operations including infiltration, observation, theft, bodyguarding, kidnapping, and assassination. However depending on the extremity of what is being asked of them the Shinobi typically will refuse to directly harm those they consider innocent (though for some Shinobi this is no deterrant at all) regardless of payment - both for fear of commiting heresy and fear of government retribution. 'Blades of Taronyel' Ruled by the Wuxidian Outcast Prince Taronyel, this is relatively small and extremely diverse outlaw faction made up of a broad distribution of humans, Eldar, Kroot, Sslyth, Kargashi, Tarellian, Xo'nad, and more still. The bounty they share under their immensely charismatic Prince sees old grudges put aside as they instead fight for the highest bidder, and the Blades of Taronyel are well equipped, disciplined, and expertly commanded. The Blades of Taronyel are based on a Haven-class Spire in an unknown location somewhere within Sector Deus, though they have representatives on many worlds including Haven and Tartarus, and even hidden representatives on Imperial worlds like Tachion Primaris. Known to accept almost any job for enough payment and for striking hard and fast with swift professionalism and potent xenotech, the Blades are rightly feared and highly mysterious. 'Blood Axes of Pexar' The Orks of Pexar are divided into a great many klans and groups but are all of Blood Axes heritage. This means they are more willing to work with other species in exchange for payment. While far from an official mercenary corp and technically outlawed, the Blood Axe Orks have been employed by many across the Sector - including the Imperial Military itself - to tackle challenges in ways that only orks can. Inherently destructive and aggressive, the Blood Axes are typically only suited for single fire-and-forget missions that involve utterly destroying a particular target. They are extremely ill-suited for guarding and defensive work and will quickly get bored without combat, often encouraging them to turn on their employer for the sheer hell of it. Furthermore the payment demanded by a Blood Axe warboss can vary immensely depending on their whims at the time, and may range from a pile of scrap metal to impossible demands for battle titans. Despite the dangers associated with attempting to hire orknoids as mercenaries, they are still sought after due to the fact that there is no one better for highly destructive & dangerous jobs. The Blood Axes will not care how many losses they sustain or how much they have to kill and destroy - in fact the more fighting they have to do, the happier they are. The orks' natural ferocity and ingenuity also mean they can tackle almost any foe and will not quit the field unless in the direst of circumstances, and will frequently turn their enemies weapons against them. Nevertheless, the Imperium is well aware of the dangers posed by orks and the use of Blood Axe mercenaries is strictly forbidden by Sector Command. However in truth this is only enforced in Imperial Systems, though highly rigorously. Therefore it is almost impossible to utilise Blood Axe mercenaries on Imperial Worlds and territories, but - so long as an employer can handle their volatile transportation - can be found fighting elsewhere for employment such as lawless frontiers and independant territories. 'Notable Assassins in Sector Deus' *'Carson Blaise' - A legendary and incredibly expensive assassin on Tachion Primaris who is spoken of in hushed whispers for fear of his retribution. Blaise is a mysterious & hyper lethal killer who can eliminate targets with anything from his bare hands to a long range sniper rifle. However he eschews the more subtle methods such as poisons or arranged accidents, preferring to confirm kills himself. Blaise has been at the top of the Tachion Primaris Adeptus Arbites' Wanted List for decades, but his incredibly average & unassuming appearence and his skills of stealth have ensured he remains elusive *'Hasardia' - A razorlady from Karn Dereg who currently sells her skill with blades in Hive Babelion on Tachion Primaris. She is a lethal blademistress with an exceptional talent for stealth and acrobatics, and is rumoured to be a Death Cultist.